Pirelli has introduced the Scorpion Winter 3, the third generation of its winter tire for SUVs and crossovers. The company says the launch completes a renewal of its winter lineup that has taken place over the past two years.

Pirelli says SUVs now make up more than half of the global vehicle market. Because they are heavier and sit higher than passenger cars, they need their own internal structures and tread patterns. The company says the new tire is designed to balance performance on snow, wet and dry roads so drivers give up less than they usually do with a winter tire.

Built for heavy vehicles

Engineers started by studying how the tire behaves under heavy loads. They redesigned the contact patch to manage pressure peaks, which helps both mileage and even wear. According to Pirelli, the active edges in the contact patch stay consistent as the tread wears, so grip on snow and wet roads holds up over the life of the tire. The carcass and tread are also built to carry the weight of larger vehicles.

The tread borrows several features from the Cinturato Winter 3:

  • a zigzag central groove that clears water and helps lateral grip on snow

  • Pirelli's patented Snow Keeper Teeth, which hold snow in the grooves to take advantage of snow-on-snow grip

  • a high void ratio to improve snow and wet performance and resist aquaplaning

Features specific to SUVs include stiffer tread blocks for better handling and wear resistance under heavy loads, and a sipe density tuned to keep performance up on dry pavement.

The compound builds on work done for the P Zero Winter 2. It includes Dual-Core Polymer, which Pirelli says improves grip across a range of conditions, and plasticizers that widen the tire's operating temperature range.

Simulators and Lapland testing

Pirelli's engineers at Bicocca leaned heavily on virtual development, which reduces development time and the number of prototypes needed. Static and dynamic driving simulators were used to fine-tune dry handling. Final testing took place at the Pirelli Sottozero Center in Swedish Lapland, where indoor facilities make it possible to test on snow and ice all year.

Sizes, ratings and technologies

Pirelli is launching the Scorpion Winter 3 in 30 sizes from 18 to 22 inches. Every launch size is rated A for wet grip on the EU tire label, and noise ratings fall in classes A to B. Optional technologies include:

  • Elect, for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, which Pirelli says can extend range by up to 10%

  • Pirelli Noise Cancelling System (PNCS), which uses sound-absorbing material inside the tire to reduce cabin noise

  • Seal Inside, which helps keep the tire inflated after a puncture from an external object

In its first independent test, conducted by Italian magazine AlVolante on 235/60 R18 tires fitted to an Alfa Romeo Stelvio, the Scorpion Winter 3 ranked first among the tires tested.

Part of the Scorpion family

Pirelli launched the Scorpion line in 1986 for high-riding vehicles; its first fitment was the Lamborghini LM002. The family now covers summer, winter, all-season and off-road tires and has more than 1,200 original equipment homologations, including bespoke tires for Aston Martin, Porsche, Lamborghini, Lotus, Audi, BMW, JLR and NIO.

Pirelli's renewed winter range now has three lines: Scorpion Winter 3 for SUVs and CUVs, P Zero Winter 2 for high-performance cars, and Cinturato Winter 3 for sedans and crossovers. More on Pirelli's car tires is available on the Pirelli US car tires page.

Source: Pirelli press release